Research by University of Queensland Business School student Lars-Peter Schneider and Professor Bettina Cornwell shows marketers are following consumers as they migrate away from mainstream television.
Professor Cornwell said the explosive growth in computer gaming in recent years had led marketers to experiment with brand placement as a way of reaching consumers.
“It’s a technique that has been widely used in movies," she said. "An example is Spielberg’s Minority Report, which was subsidised with $25 million in deals with Nokia, The Gap, and Lexus.”
“With top quality games now costing as much as US$5 million, game producers are also interested in alternative funding sources.”
Working with Honours student Lars-Peter Schneider (now employed with BAE Systems), Cornwell said the research was conducted with a self-selected group of 46 male participants playing a car-racing game.
“One of the most interesting findings is the potential of interactivity to influence memory," she said. "In movies being central to the plot is thought to be important – in video games being central to the action is important.
“Many of the executional factors deemed important in successful product placement in movies – things like showing the product in a positive light, and showing it in use and for an extended period – are easily accomplished in designing and scripting a game.
“Building in an interactive experience with the product or brand is also easy in the digital game environment and makes computer games an appealing target for marketers.”
Professor Cornwell leads the Marketing Cluster at University of Queensland Business School.
For more information telephone Cathy Stacey (07) 3365 6179, mobile 0434 074 372, email c.stacey@business.uq.edu.au
